Chateau Rauzan Segla 2012

This is a chocolate-inflected wine with a full mouth feel, and a very dark character. The palate is concentrated in tannins and a powerful, extracted feel. The aftertaste brings out more black-currant fruitiness.

The brilliant 2012 Rauzan-Ségla is unquestionably one of the successes in the Médoc in 2012. Its still youthful ruby/purple color is followed by impressive notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, cedar, graphite, and some earthy, underbrush-like nuances. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and balanced, it builds with time in the glass and has plenty of tannins as well as length. While it offers pleasure today, it’s going to benefit from another 4-5 years of bottle age, and it should be long-lived.
Rating: 95+

Deep garnet in color, the 2012 Rauzan-Ségla reveals evolving notions of new leather, cigar box and stewed tea over a core of blackcurrant cordial, plum preserves and blueberry compote with touches of cumin seed and fenugreek. Medium-bodied, the palate has a lot of spritely zip with red fruit accents lifting the mature savory and spice notes, framed by grainy tannins, finishing with great tension. The blend this year is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, harvested between September 27th and October 20th, at an average yield of 36 hectoliters per hectare. It was aged for 18 months in French oak, 70% new. The alcohol is 13.5%.

A full and silky wine with a slightly hollow center-palate now but it’s very pretty and chewy. Needs two or three years to soften. Very persistent and structured.